SITE DETAILS

St Paul's Churchyard

Kingston

Summary

The small hamlet of Hook became a separate parish from Kingston in 1839 and in that year the first church was built. It became too small and had damp problems so a larger church was built on a site to the north and consecrated on St Paul's Day in 1883. The WWI War Memorial stands near the site of the original church. The churchyard was extended in 1900. A Garden of Remembrance was created in 1948 as a WWII memorial, at the instigation of the vicar. Among those buried in the churchyard is the Australian pioneering aviator, Harry Hawker, who died in an air crash in 1921.

The information shown above was correct at the time of the last update 01/04/2012
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.
www.stpaulschurchhook.co.uk

Further Information

Grid ref:

TQ179647

Size in hectares:

Green Flag:

No

On EH National Register :

No

EH grade:

None

Site on EH Heritage at Risk list:

No

Registered common or village green
on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares
Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Fuller information

Hook was a hamlet on the Leatherhead Road recorded in documents soon after the Domesday Survey. It was originally called 'La Hoke', so-named due to its long thin shape. The area began to be developed as Surbiton town grew up, particularly following the coming of the railway. The village of Hook merged with Surbiton Borough Council in 1894. Hook had become a separate parish from Kingston in 1839 and the first church was built in that year, paid for by a bequest of Mrs Savage, wife of the vicar of Kingston. She had died in 1833 leaving £1,000 in trust towards building a new place of worship in Hook. The church later had damp problems and had also become too small so further land to the north was purchased for £100, formerly a close or orchard on land belonging to Elizabeth Pyne. The new church was built to the north of the old church and was designed by Carpenter and Ingelow; its foundation stone was laid in 1882 and it was consecrated on St Paul's Day in January 1883. The old church was then demolished; the 1914-1918 War Memorial, unveiled in 1920, is close to the site of the original church.

The churchyard had been extended in 1900 with further land purchased from Mrs Pyne. Behind the church at the west end a small walled Garden of Remembrance for cremated ashes was created in 1948 as a WWII memorial. It was the idea of Revd John Selwyn Taborn, whose ashes were interred here in 1984, even through he had retired to Devon. The lych gate was erected in 1914 in memory of James Cundy, Emily Clayton and Francis Stephen Clayton. St Paul's Centre was built on the north side of the church in 1983 to celebrate its centenary. Among those buried in the churchyard are the Australian pioneering aviator, Harry Hawker, who used to live opposite the church and died in an air crash in 1921 while testing the Nieuport Goshawk near Hendon; and John Selfe and his family, who built Selfe Park, which later came to be called Surbiton Park.